Bushwick Man Moves to Trailer

One enterprising Bushwick man has come up with a creative way around onerous rents in his neighborhood: Lease a plot of land, and then park a trailer on it. Live in said trailer. Profit?

This man, identified only as “JR,” is described by the New York Postas a “quirky mechanic” who lives in a 15-foot yellow Sprinter trailer at 467 Bushwick Avenue, near Montieth Street. JR claims he’s the first person in New York City to legally make a trailer his primary residence. “Rent is crazy in the neighborhood,” he told the Post. About two weeks ago, JR “rented the land for five months for five hundred dollars a month. I actually have a lease and I’m allowed to be there.”

But, ah, there appears to be some controversy with regard to JR’s last point there. Joseph Zelik, who owns the property at 467 Bushwick Ave, think JR’s trailer residency is fishy. In the Post‘s inimitable words: “Zelik, 66, says the lease is a sham—signed by a mystery man.” Zelik claims that someone broke the lock on his fence, and that JR moved in “without my permission.”

“It’s like Occupy Wall Street moved to Bushwick,” he added. “Maybe someone scammed him, it’s possible. But I had no choice but to call the cops.” On Saturday, JR had moved the trailer out to the street, which is legal for up to 24 hours.